Mind Over Matter Ch. 04

No leaf made a sound in the still air of the forest. Moonlight struggled to reach the damp ground under the thick foliage, and the scarce light that was cast let the eye see little more than the silhouettes of old branches. Everyone handled the forest night differently.

Rob was tense, and held his staff tightly and close to his body. Although he was no stranger to things standing above him, the mage could not help feeling small against the tall, imposing shadows around him.

Gull was anxious. Not long ago he would have enjoyed the sight of the woods at night, but that was before life had shown him what it does to the unaware. He missed his old friend, but did not wish to share his fate.

"Don't hold your breath, Rob," advised Michelle. She kept a hand over her sword for comfort. It was often her role to be a strong figure for the two. "Arrow will hear anything come before you. Don't strain your senses."

The elf stood stoically against a large trunk, with keen eyes closed. Though it was elven nature to be less easily excited compared to humans, he understood the danger around him. Determination helped to keep him composed. He would hear the beast come and avenge his human comrade.

Claire lacked the human fear of the dark, and could see well enough at night. While she was not oblivious to the fact that the mark they were hunting posed a threat, if Kai was calm then she trusted she could be as well.

Kai gave no outward sign of fear. He was unmoving as he waited patiently against a tree. With the hood of his cloak pulled over his head, his face was hidden and his figure was hardly discernible from the tree. Had the party been able to see his expression, it would not have given them the impression of a nervous man. Kai had the whole day to talk to the small hunting guild, and was satisfied with what he had learned.

An ambush seemed to be the safest route, as predatory creatures worry less than prey.

"Did you hear that?" Claire asked.

"Yes," Arrow responded, quickly taking the longbow off of his shoulder. It was not unnoticed by him that Claire heard what no else had. "That direction."

The rest of the group turned to look in the direction indicated by Arrow, and readied themselves for what might come through the trees.

Arrow did not ready his bow.

"It's not moving toward here," he said, relaxing his posture.

"Does it sound like what we're waiting for?" asked Michelle.

"The situation is much different now."

One by one, heads turned to Kai. Sighing internally, he quietly pushed his weight off of the tree and started moving silently toward the direction indicated by Arrow. The rest of the party followed behind.

With practiced carefulness, Kai stepped through the darkness without a sound. It didn't take long before he heard what Arrow and Claire must have. As the group drew closer, it became more apparent that the noises were voices.

Kai, ahead of the group, was the first to notice their garb.

"Arrow," he whispered, "pull up your hood."

Kai's eyes narrowed as he watched a trio of Church men carrying steel weapons pass in front of him. One held a staff that emitted a dim white light, and the two others kept the standard swords of the Church knight around their waist.

Kai held his palm out behind him in the universal sign for stop. Claire and the rest took a spot behind their nearest tree.

The light seemed to wane further as the Church group moved away. The one holding the staff paused. "Not this way," the man said.

The staff's light intensified as the mage turned slowly towards the six in hiding. White rays illuminated the forest around them. Kai was stuck an equal distance between them and the guild.

"Have Gull speak first," Kai whispered. The humans present could not hear him. "There are only the four of you."

Arrow motioned to Gull to go forward. Gull gave a questioning face and pointed a finger at himself, to which Arrow sternly nodded.

"Hello?" Gull said nervously, stepping out from behind his tree. When he was not immediately attacked, Arrow, Rob, and Michelle followed suit. Claire remained behind.

"What's your business here?" asked one of the swordsmen.

"We're on a hunt for a beast that's caused trouble for our village."

"A demon hound?"

"Something of the like."

"Then our goals are the same. We should work together and be home twice as fast."

Gull opened his mouth to speak, but was unsure of what to say. Instead, he turned around for help. There would be trouble if they found out Arrow wasn't human.

"Of course," said the elf. "This will be safer for both parties if we cooperate."

"Good. The Light will guide us."

The light glowed brighter or dimmed as the Church mage turned. Kai watched the shadows around him elongate and shrink. The spell cast upon the head of the staff was being used to find demons. Since his flight from Daervik, he would prefer to not leave more dead Churchmen in his wake. However, Claire was the closest demon.

The staff's light shined intensely against Claire's tree. The mage, recognizing this, began to stride in the new direction.

"Is there no other way to find the beast?" inquired Arrow.

The mage continued to follow the light. "What do you mean?"

"We had encountered it once before. We thought it best to not alert it of our being here this time."

The mage stopped. "How did you intend to find it without a similar spell?"

Arrow could not answer this, so he let the mage continue. Claire watched as the light danced around her and the footsteps of the others grew louder. Kai would know exactly what to do, but she was alone now and she would be seen shortly. She decided the best thing to do was to face them and not be caught around the corner.

Kai crouched in the shadows, ready.

A beautiful woman in white appeared before the hunting party, fully exposed to the staff's light. Everyone was startled. Claire winced against the brightness of the staff's light.

The Church knights were left stunned for longer than the others, so the mage asked first, "What are you doing here, woman?"

None of her demonic features were visible. Were they not ready to accept this beauty was a demon?

"Here, come with us," one knight offered hesitantly. "We can take you back home, you're not safe."

Unbelievable, thought Kai. He relaxed his grip on the dagger.

"Thank you, kind knight," Claire said shyly, to the silent delight of the man. She took a step toward them.

The light grew stronger as the succubus approached.

The mage noticed this change and yelled, "Stop!"

Kai reaffirmed his grip.

"What are you?"

"What do you mean?" Turning to the knight that had spoken for help she said, "I would like to go home." Her voice and expression was one of distress. The knight was caught in indecision between the sway of Claire's pleading eyes and his superior's will.

The guild party remained silent, at loss for an action to take. The mage stepped forward, pointed his staff accusingly at Claire.

"This magic finds demons." The light brightened further as he shortened the distance between him and her. He stopped only when she had turned her head away from the harsh light.

One knight drew his sword, and upon seeing his comrade the other followed suit.

The light didn't stop growing, though neither Claire nor the mage moved again. The area around them appeared as if it was now the day. This struck the mage as unusual. Had Claire not been distracted, she would have heard the heavy sound of paws swiftly approaching.

Arrow heard it coming, but Kai was the first to react. The hellhound burst through the trees, dangerously intent on destroying the source of the light. The beast was twice the size of a bear, coated in a black fur that seemed to warp the air around it with heat. Kai's first dagger throw missed in underestimation of its speed. They were supposed to surprise it. Now how would they kill it?

Claire jumped to the ground away to safety, though the mage was not so lucky. The force of the hound's tackle was enough to crush the bones of the man, and his cries of pain were quickly silenced after.

Blood in its jaws now, the beast turned to the knights. One managed to slash the side of its left leg while the other was attacked. Neither man survived much longer.

The hellhound howled ferociously in victory over the dead men, then returned its sight to the mage's staff, still shining bright on the ground.

Michelle used the distraction to lunge at its other left leg. She quickly moved behind the nearest tree to dodge the retaliation. Large pieces of bark flew away from the swipe of its good paw.

Michelle wouldn't avoid their mark for long, and it was a quick bolt of magical force that deterred its next attack. Rob almost regretted it when it turned to face him with blood-red eyes. An arrow caught it in the side and it refocused its attention again.

"Thank you!" Rob yelled.

Arrow ran swiftly between the trees, gracefully navigating the roots that would cause his death if he were to trip. The hellhound was close behind.

"It's your turn to contribute, isn't it Gull?!" Arrow exclaimed to the air.

Kai ran to catch up to Arrow, struggling to keep up with the elf's pace. Claire was right beside him.

A vicious claw caught Arrow first. The rake dug deep against his back, shredding the cloth over him before it was stained with blood. Arrow lost his footing and rolled roughly to the ground.

Luckily, that had satisfied the hellhound for now. It turned to deal with the rest of the party. Kai was the closest one, and he dashed for cover behind the nearest tree.

This had all turned bad so fast. It was obvious now that the group he had followed was completely unprepared. How arrogant could they be to think they could have handled something like this? What the group told Kai was a clear underestimation of the level of threat this beast posed. They were so intent on revenge they didn't stop to think. And of course the Church had once again created problems for his life.

Claire watched with growing fear as Kai stood in the shadow of the tree as the beast moved closer. Umbra pooled invisible around his hand and his arm, invisible in the darkness.

He hated the Church; its rules, its greed, its lies. The Church had ruined his life. The Church still had more to pay for.

Umbra seethed angrily about now, reflecting the wrath of its owner.

The hellhound was near now, dashing towards him. "Kai!" screamed Claire. The sound of her voice finally snapped him into motion, and he made a quick move dodging away from the tree a giant claw had felled.

For a brief moment, Kai's purple eyes met the red pupils of the beast. As the Umbra flowed from his body, the hellhound caught a glimpse of the infinite black that surrounded the arm of its prey. Kai recognized something in its eyes he had seen so many times previous: fear. The hellhound was stunned.

Claire saw the opening and moved fast to take it. Kai saw her move and Augmented two daggers. He tossed one to her and threw the other himself; these would pierce the hide with ease. Just as the hound blinked out of its daze, a dagger cut straight into its side. Claire's dagger was quick to follow, and as she drove the dagger into its neck she pulled down sharply to rend as much as she could.

Gull, had been waiting for an opportunity and finally found it with the feral creature reeling in pain and confusion. Turning around his tree a few feet away, he threw a fist of a dark green powder. On contact with the demon's fur the powder sizzled loudly over the howl of pain from the mark. The powder flashed a bright green, and when the light faded a second after large burn marks were left behind.

The hellhound turned again to retaliate. Michelle appeared just in time to slash at its injured hind leg. This time the blade severed the limb. Rob was close behind to deliver a powerful blast of magic.

The beast would not turn to run, choosing rather to attempt one more kill before its death. It was no longer able to stand however, and fell with a loud thud. It swung a paw pathetically towards Rob who jumped quickly back away. Michelle raised her sword to finally grant their fallen friend vengeance.

Kai was already kneeling beside Arrow. "I'm going to roll you over. I need to see your back," he explained.

"Don't touch me," was the curt response. "All of my blood is already in the ground."

Kai ignored him and gently turned the elf onto his stomach. Arrow was almost right; the red pool that was left under his back was very large.

Kai yelled in the direction of the slain hellhound to call the attention of his party.

"I can't do much," he said to Arrow.

"Such inspiring words to hear before my death."

"Don't be dramatic; you'll live."

Kai took out an amethyst dagger. Augmenting it with a healing spell, he pressed the flat side of the blade against the largest wounds. The magic caused Arrow's blood platelets to accelerate, scabbing the wound to stop further blood loss. Tissue repair was beyond Kai's ability.

Kai fell back, drained. They guild had run over now, and could take care of him better. Claire knelt by Kai, concerned. Her presence was soothing.

Kai didn't move for a second to have a moment just looking up at her worried blue eyes. She was so beautiful.

"What was that magic?" Rob asked, snapping him out of his daze.

"Just a small healing spell," Kai said.

"You know I meant the black magic. Michelle and I, we both saw it while we caught up. That's dark stuff. And strong too, powerful enough to make intimidate a hellhound."

"Rob..." Michelle cautioned.

"Arrow wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I don't think he would have if it turned out we'd be chasing demons with demons." The elf in question had slipped into unconsciousness on the forest bed.

Rob lowered the head of his staff to point toward the two. Kai sat up slowly.

"Does it matter?"

"You're a demon, Kai?" Gull asked worriedly.

"That wasn't a confession. But does it matter?" Kai asked again. "We've done nothing but aid you for a fair pay."

"Demons will be the end of this world," Rob said.

"Have we not shown ourselves to be exceptions to your rule?"

Rob said nothing in response but did not lower his staff. Kai felt the anger and frustration begin to build up under his skin. He struggled to keep the Umbra below the surface and not escalate the situation further.

"Explain the mage's light shining on Claire," Rob demanded.

"So you couldn't answer the other question, could you?" noted Kai.

Orange magic sparked from Rob's staff. "Explain!"

"The hellhound jumped out from behind Claire. Of course the light was shining in her direction. Why are you choosing to fight me over this instead of tending to Arrow?"

Rob wasn't ready to accept the quick response; he didn't expect an explanation and it caught him off guard. When he faltered, Michelle hit the staff out of his hand.

"Why are you doing this?!" she yelled angrily.

"If we saw something from below wandering this forest with twisted horns and a bloodstained battle axe, would we pay it no mind?"

"I don't see their horns!"

"No, you saw worse! That magic is darkness incarnate and-"

"We'll be leaving now if our business is done." Kai was back on his feet.

"You're not getting paid unless you come back with us. Our gold is back at the guild," Rob said.

"Be sure to tend to Arrow," Kai said to Michelle and Gull. Michelle nodded her thanks.

As Kai turned to leave, Rob turned toward his staff in the dirt. Michelle gave him a warning glance, preventing another confrontation.

Kai felt the eyes of the hunting guild watch as he and Claire disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

"Kai," Claire spoke softly, "I want to see if the Churchmen had anything important on them."

That's right. He had almost forgotten that Claire was with him to learn about her capture. He was deluding himself by thinking that the succubus stayed with him solely out of affection. He was unsure of the prospect that the men would have anything of relevance on them, but he wanted their futures to continue on parallel paths.

"We need coin even more now, too," Claire added.

"Our share is right here." Kai pulled back the cloak around his hip just far enough to reveal and small black bag.

"Rob isn't going to be happy at all," Claire said. She laughed silently, amused by Kai's preemptive actions winning again.

Kai retrieved his two daggers from the demon carcass. Magic had aided their journey into the thick hide, and he struggled to pull the drained crystal back out.

Having made it back to what remained of the trio of Churchmen, Kai and Claire knelt by the bodies to see what they could find. The weapons were obviously of value, but too obvious to be useful. They could not be sold without raising the question of how they came into the pair's possession. A faint light shone a little ways away, indicating where the mage's staff lay. Without a caster to sustain the spell, the illuminated crystal would soon fade out. Kai drained the small remainder of its power and went to return to Claire.

Claire's search was a little more fruitful. There were a few silver coins on one of the knights, and the bloody mage's corpse kept a torn note on its person. The note described a large demon attacking workers in the forest. A crude map was drawn on the torn paper, with a circle over trees to the left of what appeared to be buildings.

"I think we're close to another city," Claire said, handing the map to Kai. He had a more difficult time making out the ink in the sparse light of the forest, but he saw enough to agree with Claire's guess.

"Daelor. There's a keep there," Kai recalled.

*****

"Matteus. Where are going?"

"Sir Galleon Deven, which village, town, or city is the closest patch of civilization to our current spot along this dreary dirt road?"

"We should come across a village in a few hours. I'm not aware of its name."

"And what is nearest there?"

"The city of Daelor should be to the east of the surrounding forest."

"Wonderful! We head there. I've heard a great number of compliments praising their food," said Matteus cheerily.

"This isn't a vacation, Matteus. We must find this man, and we will be looking through the village whether or not you enjoy their food."

"My friend, that is what the rabble at the conference would have come up with and I chose you to avoid such manner of people and thinking. If he is at the village, the rabble will find him. If he is not at the village, he may be at Daelor where we will have the opportunity to find him. If he is not at Daelor, then he is away from any possible patch of civilization near us and cannot do harm to any large number of people."

Galleon closed his eyes in exasperation, but did not argue.

"You'll love the food."

*****

"We should stop here for now," said Kai.

The sun would grace the horizon in a few hours. They could continue to the city, but would have to spend the day recovering anyway. It mattered not to Kai where he slept, and he could see Claire's eyes struggling to remain open.

Having left any sort of path before dusk fell, they could rest where they stood. Claire nodded in agreement, and found a suitable tree to lie against. She looked up at Kai expectantly. After pulling off his black cloak he sat to her right. They enjoyed each other's warmth as Kai adjusted into a comfortable position and covered them in all that his cloak could manage.

The eerie silence of the forest was different now. It put them on an island away from everything else around them, and neither Kai nor Claire regarded this notion negatively. Isolation was not foreign to man nor demon, and having someone to share heat with in the quiet night was special to both.

Kai watched the beautiful succubus's chest rise and fall slowly while she rested. She would shift occasionally, brushing up against Kai and nuzzling into his neck. She was perfection.